Mining-machine.



PATENTED FEB. ll, 1908.

E. R. MERRILL. MINING MACHINE.

A`PPLIOATION FILED JAH. 15. 1901.

s SHEETS-sanar 1.

110.878,976. PATBN'IED FEB..11,1908.

B. R. MERRILL.

MINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED un. 1s. 1901. v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 878,976. PATBNI'ED IBB. 11, 1908.

311.1115111111111. MINING MAGHINB. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 151)0l.

a SHEETS-sum a.

Q O Ur .ula O O Wn' mais itTM. l M/M UNITED sfu-urns rarnx'r OFFICE.

EDWIN It. MERRILL, UF GOLL'M BL'S, OHIO, ASSltNOlt Tt) JUbliPll A. JEFFREY, GF COLUMBUS,

i OHIO.

HINING-MACHINE.

No. 878,976. V

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1908.

Application tiled January 15. 1901. Serial No. 43.319.

'Il' ull l/-liem it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enwlx R. MERRILL, a citizen of the l'nited States, residing at' (olumbus. in the county of Franklin and State hf Ohio. have invented certain new and useful lmju'ovements in .\lining.\lachines, of which the l'ollowing is a specitication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in mining machines of the class known as long wall" machines, that is 'to say, machines cach having a main frame or bed 'which can he )ropelled bodily along the fac-e of the coal am which carries the laterally projecting cutting apparatus.

The imprm'ement consists in so construct-- ing and arranging the parts that high speeded, `reciprm-ating engines can be employed to advantage; so that the cutting apparatus can 'he easily and quickly adjusted to vary the plane ot' its cutting relative to horizontal planes; so that thecutter wheel can be reversed without requiring any movement bodilv iof the whole machine, as is frequently necessary when the cutters become stopped by the severe work put upon them or from other causes; so that` the devices can be simplified and economicallyv actuated to effect the advance of the machine; and in order to attain other ends, as will appear from the description below. l

Figure 1 is a plan view of a mining machine embodying my improwments. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe saine from the side of the cutting apparatus. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the opposite side. Fig. t is asection on the line T, .fr of Fig. 1.v Fig. 5 is a section on the line y. y of Fig. 1, Fig. (i is a side view of the combined valve chest and cylinder coupling, detached'. Figs. 7 to 12 show details of the reversing mechanism. Figs. 13 and 14 are detached details of the cam adjustment ofA the-feed mechanism. Fig. l5 is a plan view of the lbed frame. Fig. 1G is a. cross section on the line z, z, of- Fig. 1. Figs. 17, 18 and 19 are. detached details of the cutting wheel hanger bracket. Fig. 20 is a detached detail of the central portion of the cutting wheel illustrating its construction. Fig. '.21 is a cross section on the line w, u. of Fig. 211. Fig. 22 is across section on the line e, 'v of Fig. 2o. i

The machine showneomprises a main for compressed air or similar agent, a laterally projet-.ting cutter wheel, a wheel carrier or holder mounted on a pivotal axis, power shutting between the engines and the cutter wheel.supporting and guiding wheels for the bed, a hed :ulvancing or moving apparatus having a rope winding shaft and drum, and an actuating mechanism driven by the engines for operating the said carriage moving shaft, togetheewith other parts and details toibo described.

The hed tiene as a whole is indicated b v A, the several longitudinal and transverse parts thereof being preferably cast integral and comprising the side. parts a, o', the end 70 cross parts u'-, c and intermediate cross -part-s at (1*, a, a, which serve as girths or -braces and also as supports for the operative Q parts. The side bars a at the rear end of the machineare inclined or curved inward'as 75 shown at a7 to )ermit the cutter wheel to be brought toward the central longitudinal line' of the bed, or, in other words, to permit the bed frame to be brought close up to theface of the coal, thereby not only narrowing the 30 machine as a whole, but so disposing' it-'s sev"-4 eral parts that the powerful side strains and torsional reactions which are particularlv incident t-o machines of this sort are largely eliminated and the power shaftingaid gearg5 ing are arranged'compact-ly and close to the cutter wheel. The bed frame is also.,cast with the tubular bearings B; a'nd withV the expanded base plate C arranged vertically. C indicates the cutter wheelas a whole. It is constructed in a noveland peculiar manner, being cast in two halves c, c which are bolted together at c2, this permitting it to be made accuratelyv and providing against the flaws frequently incident to large castings; and moreover it can readily be put' in place or removed from the machine without separating the other parts. Itis supported` by means of two plates I), D', one above and one below the wheel. to the part indicated as a whole bvE, and the .a plate D 1s secured to the lower end of the pivot element ext-ending'outu ard from the axis far i enough to give vert-ical support to the wheel.

i journal e, the vertically extended plate c/,the t bottom plate e2 and a housing wall or flange e3. The journal e tits in the aforesaid box or bearing at B and the plate e is fitted close to the The plate D is at d bolted The part indicated h v E comprises a. tubular frame orr'bed, a 'pair of reciprocating engines plate 'l'he journal e provides along axial 110 support for the part E and the cutter wheel carried thereby, this part E and those at l) .and D constituting what I refer to as the cutter ivheel support or carrier. At e" there are bolts engaging with the inner stai ionary plate E and situated in slots c* in the wheel carrier. These devices permit the irm fastening of the wheel carrier in place after it has been adjusted in the way to be. more fully described, and alsopermit it to be released so that the adjusting devices can perform their work.

The cutter wheel C' is formed with a eircular series of beveled teeth with which meshes a driving pinion F. 'lhe latter is on the cutter-wheel driving shaft G which is mounted at one end in the sleeve journal e in the bracket box B and at the other end 'in a bearing standard B fastened to the bed frame near its outer edge.

H is the driving gear wheel on the shaft G. I, I indica-te the two reciprocating engines. They are mounted in relatively lowhorizontal planes and are .provided with a common valve chest I.

i., 'i are the guides for the er'oss heads connected to'the piston rod, and from these cross-heads the pitman i2 extends backward to the crank disks j on the transversely mounted crank shaft J The eccentrics K are placed close to the center of the machine and between them is the driving inion LWliich meshes with the aforesaid W ieel II on the cutter-driving Wheel shaft. The eccentrics are connected with their valves in a peculiar manner, there bein at H, M slides, mounted in guide-Ways whic are connected to the valve rods m, m and pivotally connected to the eccentric 40 rods m', m. The eccentrics can be released from the shaft to which they are connected f through the medium of disks K. These disks are each provided with a concentric slot 7c, formed entirely through the disks,

and with. countersunk enlargements 7c' at the ends of the slots ada ted to receive the heads 7c of clamp bolts Each clamp nut is tapped into its respective eccentric and when set home its head k will fit into its respective countersink or socket, and afford means for firmly clamping the eccentric to the disk. The eccentrics K are loose u on the shaft J, while the disks K are keyed ast to the shaft. The ends of the slots'k correspond to the positions which the cccentrics require to be placed to reverse the engines, so that when the clamp bolts are released and reset at the other end of slots, th'e eccentrics will be gg [thereby reversed in position and the engines correspondingly reversed. The slots 7c prov iile for the reversing movements -being accomplished without removing the clampbolts entirely from theeccentrics, as it is only o' to the cutter wheel support.

vears o', the arm and the springs.

5 necessary to turn them backward far enoug to remove the heads kg'beyond the outer faces ol' the disks K when t he ece-entries can be turned to their reversed position by sliding the clamp bolts around m the slots until the head k2 comes opposite the other socket 70 k. After being released the eccentrics can he reversed, in turn reversing the valve. ln this way provision is made for reversing the cutter wheel, without requiring any movenient of the machine as a whole, and independently of the gearing. Such reversal of the cutter wheel becomes necessary frequently when the cutters are stalled or the wheel becomes clicked or clogged. The reversa causes the clearance of the kerf, removes cuttings, and frees the wheel,.so that it is made ready to again advance and remove the coal in, front of it.

It will be seen'that I have arranged the driving gearing L, H in such wav that the4 35 power can be economically applied to its utmost and without lateral strain on the shaft. And it will be particularlv noted that this gearing is in the vertical longitudinal planes of the wheels N N which support and guide the bed upon the rail N. But a single rail is used n on which a species of balance is maintainer as between the parts at the inner side of the machine and the parts at the outer side. The rapid and powerful reeiprocations of the engine casings interfere with this balance and cause vibrations and lateral motion to the machine which seriously interfere with its proper operation, but by arranging the gearing and the engines 1n the way described relatively to the supporting wheels and -the single track rail I largely overcome these disturbing tendencies.

The cutter wheel and wheel carrier are adjusted around the axis of the wheel driving shaft G by means of the arm O and its actuating devices. This arm is rigidly bolted at It extends forward longitudinally, and along the inner side, of the machine. At its outer end it is vconnected with the adjusting plate O. the

latter havin ears o, one above and one below the en of the arm, and a spring or springs o2 being interposed between the arm and the cars. To hold the parts pro erly together a pivot bolt o is passed thron 1 the gI'hese sprm serve to provide a yielding connec-.o tlon etween the arm O and its adjusting devices so that the adjustment of the .wheel carrier about its horizontal axis is yieldinglyY controlled. This is of great importance where it is desired to adjust the cutter wheel. in vertical planes while it is in working lposi'- tion in a vein of coal, the yielding-natureof -the control of said adjustment insuring that none of the o erative parts of the mechanism will be unduiv trained.

fr; The plate is moved up. or down` by means of Lne pinion Oz on the end of shaft O to the eccentric strap T.

which is mounted in a standard 0" carried by lu hell After the wheel support, is released at. cli A the operator can adjust it 1n one direction or j the other around its axis by turning the hand wheel P in the proper direction whichI through the trains of devices just described elevates or depresses the arm O.

The machine is automatically advanced bodily along t-he face of the coal by means ofthe carriage moving shaft Q mounted in standards on the hed lrame. This shalt has a rope drum Q'. The rope Q is secured to the drum and wound upon it, one end being secured to a stationaryr point suitably distant. as lor instance to a post. secured in the mine. he drum Q' is rotated b v means of the gear wheels It, lt', the wheel it being on at-.ountershaft R? which receives motion through a ratchet driving mechanism comprising the ratchet wheel S, the radius arm S and the arm S'L carrying the. ratchet dog S". ln the present machine these partsare soar-ranged that they can be actuated d' rectly from the wheel driving-shaft- G by means ol' the rectilineally reciprocating rod T. This arm is at one end connected directly to the downwardly extended radius arm S. At the other end it is connected The eccentric U is formed with a slot. u1 which lits a squared portion u of a sleeve U keyed to the shaft G so that it can he adjusted to have nner:-` or less eccentric-ity. lt is rigidly clamped in position by means ol' the hand wheel nut V which engages with the threaded extremity ofthe shalt see Fig. 4. ,'lhe eccentric strap is formed with a handle t. The operator l l can at any time regulate the leed ol` the E machine by loosening the hand uut \v and moving the eccentric. so as to be more ori less concentric with the shaft, by lneans of the handle t. After such adjustment the eta-.entric is lirmly fastened in place by the clamping devices.

The part c oi the cutting wheel formed with the entire circle e' of the hub ol' the wheel. the interior of the hub being provided with an annular bushing c* secured in place movabl) b v set screws c" as shown in Figfjl).

ln this ligure the part c is shown entirely detached trom the part c to illust-rate its construction more lully.

'The adjacent edges ol' the t'wo parts ol' the cut-ting wheel are formed with llanges c". c",

the llange c" having a groove and lhe lange c having a corresponding rib lo assist. in4

holding them toget bolts ci. l

The cutting heel is provided with an icrwhen secured by the (l is a worm `wheel on the end ot' the shaft (P, and with it engages a l inner edge. overlumging. to allord means l'or the insertion of a curved clamp plate (`3 on the hanger plate l), whereby the cutting wheel is additionally supported while being operated.

The plates D and l center ol the cutlingwiuel by a stub shalt l 1)?, the stub shalt being secured to the plates l annular rib ("l on its upper surface, with the l 1) are united at the I) and D hvscrews l passing through both the plates l) and 1)' and the stub shalt D", as v shown in Fig. 4. The stub shaft lits into the bushing c4. the whole thereby forming a journal around which the cutting wheel revolves, and by which itis lirmly supported in posi tion horizontally. The stub shalt is pro- 5 vided with a central cavity 1) connected to j the exterior against the bushing by a vent j l):y and provided with a cap screw 1)" through which oil ma) he poured into the cavit) and be led by the vent outward-to lubricate the bushing.

I do not herein claim the idea of providing means su )plemental to the adjusting arm j and suppliemental to its adjusting devices for fastening a wheel support in either of several positions, nor the broad idea of interposing in the train of devices l'or adjusting the wheel support, a spring adapted to yieldingly control the adjustment of said support; claims my application No. 660,267, filed4 Nov. 30, 1897. i

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a main frameor hed, of means for supporting and guiding the bed along the ground. a laterali)r projecting "utter wheel, an adjustable sup )ort fer said wheel, an arm connected to said sup io'rt for adjusting it and the wheel, a bodily adjustable gear plate adapted to impart motion l to th arm in opposite directions, springs interposed between the gear plate and the arm, and means for adjusting and locking the gear plate.

L. ln :running machine, the combination with a main frame or bed,of means for supporting and guiding the bed along the ground. a ,laterally projecting cutter wheel, an adjustable' wheel carrier for the said wheel. a swingable arm rigidi f connected to said wheel carrier, a train oi power transx'nitting devices for actuating said arm in j either direction about the axis of the said cutter wheel carrier and having in said train an adjustable gear plate, and opposilely'actl ing springs interposed between said gear l plate and said arm. g b. 'l`he combina-tion with a mainframe or l bed. ol' means for supporting and guiding the j bed, a laterally projecting cutter wheel. an j adjustahie support for the cutter wheel. an l l arm rigidly secured to the wheel support. an adjustable gear pla-te yieldingly connected for these subjects-matter being presented in.

recessed or narrowed part having a vertical flange C for supportlng the cutter wheel in its working position.

to the said arm on opposite sides thereof, and s fearinfy engaging with thc said plate for adjusting t ie arm. l

4. The combination with a main frame or 6. In a mining machine, the combination liedl of means for sup orting and guiding the of a laterally projecting horizontally dis- 30 bed along the groun a laterallyv projecting I posed cutter wheel, an adjustable Wheel cutter wheel, an adjustable rocking support i carrier therefor, a motor, shutting and gearfor said wheel, an arm connected to sail supi'ng connecting tlie said motor with the said port for adjusting it., a gear plate yielding y cutter wheel, feeding mechanism for advanceonnected to the opposite end of the arm,

ing the machine along the face of the inasprings arranged on opposite sides of said terial to be cut, and a bed frame constructed arm and interposed between it and said substantially :is described and supporting gear plate, and means for adjusting the gear all of the `iforesaid parts, said bed frame beplate.

I j ing laterally recessed or narrowed at points 5. In a mining machine, the combination adjacent to the cutter wheel, and formed of a laterally projecting horizontally disposed with a laterally projecting sleeve B having a cutter wheel, a motor, gearing coiuieeting i i vertical ange C to which the said cutter the niot-or with the. cutting apparatus, feedi wheel carrier is adjustabl I secured. ing mechanism for advancing the machine In testimony whereof affix my signature along the face of the. coal, and a bed frame in presence of two entnesses.

constructed substantiall as described and EDVIN R' MERRILL- -supporting all of the a oresaid parts, said )ed frame being laterally recessed at jlioints Witnesses:

C. C. Corr,

adjacent to the cutter Wheel and former with l a laterally projecting sleeve B at the said C. A. Donna.- 

